The Pandemic Notebook

The Pandemic Notebook

A handy guide from The Hindu on understanding the coronavirus

pandemic and staying protected against COVID-19

WRITERS

R. Prasad

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

Jyoti Shelar

Jacob Koshy

EDITED BY

P.J. George

Introduction

1

What are coronaviruses?

2

A closer look at SARS-CoV-2

3

High transmissibility

5

Spike structure

5

Genome sequencing

5

Understanding the disease

7

How does the disease spread?

7

Who is affected?

7

What are the symptoms?

9

How can it be detected?

9

What is the treatment?

9

Can a vaccine be developed for COVID-19?

Protecting yourself against COVID-19

10

11

Washing with soap

11

Alcohol-based hand sanitisers

12

Using a mask

12

Social distancing

13

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

13

Practise respiratory hygiene

13

Some common queries answered

14

Are there differences between symptoms caused by the flu and COVID-19?

14

How effective are thermal scanners in detecting people infected with the

new coronavirus?

14

Can a person exposed to Coronavirus transmit it to others if he/she uses a

swimming pool?

14

Should people avoid eating meat-based food to prevent transmission?

15

Is there a link between a person¡¯s immunity and COVID-19 transmission?

15

Are there any home remedies to treat COVID-19?

15

Are antibiotics effective in preventing and treating the new coronavirus?

15

Do vaccines against pneumonia protect you against the new coronavirus?

16

Myths around COVID-19

16

Myth: ¡°COVID-19 virus cannot be transmitted in areas with hot and humid climates¡±

17

Myth: The new coronavirus can be transmitted through mosquito bites.

17

National and State helplines

18

Introduction

On December 31, 2019, China informed the World Health Organization of a

cluster of cases of pneumonia of an unknown cause in Wuhan City in Hubei

province. On January 9, 2020, the WHO issued a statement saying Chinese

researchers have made ¡°preliminary determination¡± of the virus as a novel

coronavirus.

Since then, more than 6,000 deaths have been reported due to COVID-19 across

the world till March 20, 2020. Cases have been reported from more than 180

countries, including India. Lockdowns, curfews, massive airport screenings,

quarantines, and social distancing have become the norm across the globe.

In these critical times, access to authentic information is of paramount

importance. The Hindu has been covering the pandemic since the early days with

the highest journalistic standards, ensuring that science and safety are the primary

focus. For the benefit of our readers, we are now compiling the most relevant

parts of our coverage in the form of an eBook, that we hope will be a handy guide

to good health practices as well as in fighting misinformation.

1

What are coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses with some causing less

severe common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute

respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome

(MERS). The SARS-CoV-21 is a coronavirus very similar to the one

that caused SARS.

Many coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted from

animals to humans.

While the SARS coronavirus is thought to be an animal virus from an

as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other

animals (civet cats) and first infected humans in the Guangdong

province of southern China in 2002, the MERS coronavirus was passed

on from dromedary camels to humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

There is evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 has also been transmitted from

bats

1 The

Coronavirus Study Group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, which had assessed the

novelty of the human pathogen, has named the virus as ¡°Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2¡±, or

¡°SARS-CoV-2¡±. The Coronavirus Study Group is responsible for developing the official classification of viruses

and taxa naming of the Coronaviridae family.

2

A closer look at SARS-CoV-2

The ultrastructural morphology exhibited by the SARS-CoV-2 seen in an illustration released by the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on January 29, 2020. Image Credit: Reuters

Like other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 virus particles are spherical

and have mushroom-shaped proteins called spikes protruding from

their surface, giving the particles a crown-like appearance. The spike

binds and fuses to human cells, allowing the virus to gain entry.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and the National

Institutes of Health, U.S., have produced a 3D atomic scale map of the

protein of the SARS-CoV-2 that binds to and infects human cells.

Mapping the 3D structure of the protein ¡ª spike (S) glycoprotein ¡ª

will allow better understanding of how the virus binds to the human

cells. Knowing the structure of the spike protein will, in turn, allow

scientists to develop vaccines and antivirals against the virus and even

better diagnostics.

3

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